The Master of Light (1984)

The Master of Light is a documentary on the life and scientific career of Albert A. Michelson (1852-1931), the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. His experiments made major contributions to our understanding of the fundamental properties of light. In 1877, at age 26, using an apparatus he built for little more than ten dollars, Michelson gained an international reputation for his accurate measurement of the velocity of light. The film takes the viewer through a period of scientific history when the spirit of invention and experimentation revealed new physical laws that no longer conformed to Newton's classical notions of the universe. Michelson himself triggered a chain of advances in physics which helped to unravel and unify often opposing theories. His work laid the groundwork for Einstein's Theory of Relativity, as well as contemporary explorations of outer space and atomic energy. Michelson's experiments and theories, including the famous Michelson-Morley experiment, are clearly explained in the film through narrative and animation. The Master of Light also explores the personal side of Michelson's life, notably his talents as a painter and a violinist. For Michelson, art and science were inseparable. Narrated in part by his daughter, The Master of Light includes newsreel film footage of Michelson and his experiments, as well as rare photos of his artistic rendering.